The Tongue Patch – Does It Really Work

The Tongue Patch is a new, extreme weight loss procedure. It does not involve chemicals or medicines and is instead a physical deterrent to calorie consumption.

Much as the name implies, the tongue patch is a postage-stamp sized piece of wire mesh. It is sewn directly onto the patient’s tongue in a quick outpatient procedure done under local anaesthestic.

It works by making the consumption of solid food excruciating. Instead, patients are to consume a liquid diet, (conveniently developed by the same plastic surgeon), and incorporate 45 minutes of daily exercise until the patch is removed after 30 days.

After removal, patients are advised to follow a plant-based diet.

The patch was developed by long-time California plastic surgeon Dr. Nikolas Chugay. His partner, and son, Dr. Paul Chugay also performs the surgery.

The younger Dr. Chugay submitted a study in which he claims that patients lose and average of 18lbs in the 30days after the surgery and this weight loss is typically maintained for 8 months. Owing to “insufficient data” though, the study has not yet been published by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

On their website, Dr. Nikolas Chugay notes the patch is a short-term weight loss aid. The $2,000 outpatient procedure is considerably less expansive and invasive than other drastic weight loss options like lap band or gastric bypass surgery.

Those procedures can cost upwards of $10,000 and can produce serious side effects. On the other hand, they tend to be a long term weight management solution.

Key Ingredients

There are no other ingredients beyond the wire mesh patch itself.

Media Focus

The tongue patch has been featured in Daily Mail from the United Kingdom, and on an ABC news segment in the United States. The story has also been picked up by other outlets like Fox news, Yahoo.com and the Huffington post in the U.S.

The main featured success stories involve two women from the United States – Marlene Beltran aged 20, and Lysander Lanuza aged 27. Both underwent the procedure after admitting difficulty in self-control when it comes to eating. In fact, Lysander attempts to cheat by having some popcorn during the month and experiences a lot of pain.

The women saw results in line with the Dr. Paul Chugay’s claims. Lysander started out at 200lbs and lost a total of 23lbs in the month. Marlene started out at 169lbs and dropped 18lbs total. They were both please with these results.

Any Side Effects

Side effects from this procedure include pain and swelling of the tongue, which should subside 24-48 hours after surgery. Patient speech may also be affected after the procedure but should return to normal in the same amount of time post-op. Of course, there is the pain associated with eating solid food for 30 days following the surgery, but that is to be expected (and is in fact the whole point).

Another side effect, detailed by Marlene, is grouchiness. In particular, she was forced to sit in another room while her family consumed normal meals. This is not unusual considering the procedure is essentially a cold-turkey liquid fast.

There are just some of the side effects of the controversial procedure, which is yet to be FDA-approved.

Is It Recommended

In a word: No. It is mind-boggling that someone who could not, on their own, bypass a cupcake or skip an extra serving of dinner would intentionally subject themselves to a month of physical pain as a food deterrent.

The tongue patch is reminiscent of other extreme weight loss schemes including tapeworm consumption, cabbage soup diets or giant, automated belt machines – only with a more prominent masochistic element. That being said, at least this brute-force approach is free of gimmicky pills or claims of chemical miracles.

Dr. Robert Huizenga, a weight loss expert who has appeared on the Biggest Loser television show has vocalized criticism for the procedure, calling it a “primitive approach,” and going on to say, “you could hire somebody to hold a gun next to your head and threaten to shoot you every time you eat.” While this may evoke a graphic image, it is no less so than the thought of having a piece of wire surgically attached to one’s tongue with the express goal of inflicting pain.

If you are into that sort of thing, and have $2,000 to spare, then by all means go for the tongue patch procedure. There are worse ways to spend a month. Conversely, you could probably achieve the same results by taking the suggestion of a popular U.S. commercial and hiring junior high school girls to follow you around and shame you for 30 days.

Recommended Diet Products

There are several products that offers an outstanding level of success with going to the extremes of having something sewn on to your body.

We have detailed our best diet products that reveal not only the product effectiveness but the company behind it in terms of customer service.

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